Bridles employing bits have been used for many years to guide and control animals such as horses when they are ridden and the many various types of bits have been developed through the years. As the reins are pulled by the rider the bit applies pressure to the lips and cheeks of the horse and acts as a steering mechanism. After an animal has become adjusted to the bit, normal riding may not present any problems whereas the constant abrupt turning and stopping which occurs for example in polo games can cause injury to the inside cheeks of the horse as the flesh is forced against the rough edges of the molars. To help alleviate this problem in the past it has been customary to "float" the teeth which consists of smoothing the teeth with a suitable instrument. However, this method has not proved entirely satisfactory since a horse's teeth continually grow and all the uneven spots along the top and side walls of the molars cannot be smoothed to perfection. Also, the front molars may provide a rough surface between which the cheek can be trapped and pinched when pressure is applied to the bit.
As the inside of the horse's cheeks become abraded and lacerated from constant use of the bit, infection can set in and the horse can be prevented from normally eating and thus can rapidly fall into a state of ill health.
With this background in mind the present invention was developed and one of its main objectives is to insure a healthier state for horses or other animals when bit-like devices are employed.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a mouthplate for horses or the like in order to allow them to complete more easily without injury in contests such as polo or racing events which require a great deal of guiding, controlling, or stopping.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a protective device for insertion into the mouth of an animal to prevent sores, lacerations, and infections from developing therein.
It is yet another objective of the present device to provide a protective mouthplate device which is economical to manufacture and can be easily fitted to a variety of animals.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mouthplate protective device which will remain in position and which cannot be easily dislodged or removed by the animal.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a mouthplate device which remains in place during long periods of use and is quite comfortable to the animal.